48. CHAPTER 48 #2
I felt safe. I was safe. Sure, there were unknowns, but I was safe. My eyelids grew heavy despite the weight of what waited for us tonight.
“Rest,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple. “We’ll face them together.”
The palace could rage, his family could question, and the dinner could turn into chaos. But wrapped in his arms, exhaustion won.
And I let sleep take me.
By the time Zane and I entered the dining hall, it was already chaos.
The long table stretched beneath glittering chandeliers, flames from a dozen candelabras flickering against polished silver and crystal.
Footmen weaved between chairs with trays of steaming platters—roasted game hens, spiced root vegetables, bowls of broth that smelled like heaven itself.
But the food was the background. The noise came from his siblings .
Arkin had already been halfway through a dramatic retelling of some “harrowing duel” in the training yard, gesturing so wildly that he nearly elbowed Theodora in the face.
She hadn’t flinched, only rolled her eyes and kept sipping her wine.
Helena was arguing with Eli about whether griffins or dragons made the better war mounts, both of them getting louder and louder until Elizabeth squealed for them to shut up.
Aeliana tried to keep some order, but her presence couldn’t quiet them all at once.
“Gods,” I said under my breath, hovering at the threshold, “this makes the dining hall look peaceful.”
Zane chuckled, his hand at the small of my back as he guided me forward. “Welcome to dinner at Ashwynd, I told you it was chaos at home.”
The moment they noticed us, six voices overlapped.
“About time!”
“You nearly missed the soup.”
“Don’t sit next to Arkin—he spits when he talks.”
“Do sit next to Arkin—I want someone else to suffer.”
“She looks nervous. Stop staring at her.”
“She is nervous, look at her face!”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
“Enough,” the duke’s voice cut through the din, calm but carrying. Instantly, the siblings quieted, though smirks lingered on their faces.
The Duchess rose slightly, smiling at me. “Come, Auri. Sit. Eat. Let the noise wash over you—it always does.”
I let out a shaky breath, sliding into the seat beside Zane.
Across the table, Aeliana caught my eye and winked, as though to say welcome to the family circus.
The footmen poured wine and passed platters around.
Conversation roared back to life—questions hurled at Zane about the college, sly jabs at each other, debates over politics and war tactics thrown in between bites of bread.
And somehow, through the chaos, I found myself laughing.
The nerves hadn’t vanished—but maybe, just maybe, I could survive this.
The meal had already been a blur of sound and motion by the time I had a plate in front of me.
Arkin kept reaching over people to grab food that wasn’t his.
Elizabeth had been sneaking candied nuts into her pocket when she thought no one was looking, and Adrian had been loudly insisting that Drusearons could outfly griffins.
“Blasphemy,” Nikolai said into his wine, and the table erupted again.
I found myself smiling, actually laughing, despite the knot in my stomach. It felt… chaotic, but familiar. Like Feather Wing in the dining hall back at the college, just louder and with better food.
Helena leaned across the table, her sharp eyes catching mine. “So, Auri,” she said, voice deceptively light, “what was it like the first time you felt the bond with Zane? Did you know what it was?”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth. “I—” My chest tightened. That hadn’t been something I really talked about.
Before I could find an answer, Aeliana chimed in, smiling but with that same piercing look. “Your father is—General Blackcreek, right?”
Every sibling fell silent, their eyes locking on me. Zane’s hand settled on my thigh, steadying me.
“Yes… he fathered me.” Their stares lingered, heavy in the pause that followed.
Elizabeth broke it with a sudden burst, her eyes wide and bright. “Did you really fight a Rider in training and cut both of his Achilles?”
“Lizzie!” Theodora hissed, scandal sharp on her tongue.
“What?” Elizabeth blinked back at her, all innocence. “It happened.”
Zane’s hand brushed mine under the table, steadying me, though his jaw was tight. “Don’t let them shake you,” he murmured down the bond. “They’re testing, but not in the way you think.”
Arkin leaned back in his chair, grinning wolfishly. “Don’t worry, we prefer you to be able to hold your own. Gods, we know you need to, to survive this family…”
Laughter rippled down the table again, the noise surging back, almost enough to hide the thrum of unease still in my chest. Almost.
By the time the main platters vanished, my stomach already ached with fullness—but the feast didn’t care. Trays rolled in one after another: sugared tarts, candied nuts, custards laced with cinnamon, and a tower of spun sugar that caved the instant Arkin jabbed it with his fork.
Elizabeth squealed. Eli’s laughter boomed across the table. Hands shot in from every side, grabbing, swiping, voices rising in shouts over the last tart, accusations flying as plates emptied faster than they could be defended.
“Gods above,” I said, ducking as a sugared almond flew past my head. “Do you always eat like this?”
“Only when the food is good,” Helena grinned, licking sugar from her fingers. “Which means always. How are we supposed to eat?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
“I… I don’t know. I am an only child, and every royal dinner I have eaten at was quiet with light conversation.”
Almost all of them roared in laughter. I hadn’t thought what I’d said was that funny.
Aeliana leaned toward me, her smile deceptively sweet. “So, Auri, what about your childhood?”
My chest tightened. “I moved around frequently. I grew up with two best friends, who are also twins.”
Eli chimed in, his eyes bright. “Is it true your magic was diminished by your parents?”
I shot Zane a look.
“He didn’t tell me. I heard the rumor around campus. I guess people thought it was interesting that the General gave his daughter the tincture.”
My cheeks flushed hot. “That’s… true.”
The room quieted for a moment, just long enough for the duke’s voice to cut across the table. “How did that feel? You have magic now, though?” His pale eyes fixed on me, not unkind but heavy.
The air thickened. My fork shook slightly in my hand. “I was upset. There was a lot hid—shielded from me. I felt like I needed to catch up on something I should have known. I don’t have my unique ability from Esme yet. ”
The Duchess leaned forward, her voice softer. “And do you feel safe with Esme? Truly safe?”
I blinked, startled by the question’s intimacy. “Yes. Including when she is… testing me. Especially then.”
A small, knowing smile touched the Duchess’s lips, and she leaned back again.
Before the silence could stretch, Helena pounced. “All right then, tell us—first crush? Don’t say Zane.”
I nearly choked on my wine. “What?”
The table erupted with laughter again, Elizabeth banging her spoon against the table and chanting, “First crush! First crush!” while Zane groaned beside me, pinching the bridge of his nose.
I buried my face in my hands, half-laughing, half-dying inside. This family would eat me alive.
“Yeah… we’re not going there. I draw that line,” I said.
The table was still roaring with laughter, Elizabeth banging her spoon, Arkin mock-groaning about my “mysterious taste in males,” when Theodora leaned forward, her smile a little too sharp. She had been mostly quiet during dinner.
“All right,” she said, her tone casual but her blue eyes cutting straight to me. “One more question, Auri. Tell us—how does it feel to be General Blackcreek’s daughter… and know he killed the uncles of your mate?”
The laughter collapsed into silence so fast it left my ears ringing.
My chest went cold. My fork slipped against the plate with a scrape. Every sibling stared now—some curious, some guarded, some clearly enjoying the spectacle. Nikolai’s smile vanished. Eli stared at his plate in disbelief. Oliver, who had remained quiet, stared at me with pity.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Gods, how did she know that?
Before I could form a single word, Zane’s chair scraped back hard against the floor. His hand closed over mine, steady but iron-strong.
“That’s enough,” he said, his voice low, dangerous, the kind of tone that stopped even Arkin mid-breath. His eyes swept the table, dark and burning. “You’ve had your fun. You’ve got your questions. She answered more than she owed.”
He looked at his parents, his gaze sharp yet respectful. “With your permission, we’ll retire. It’s been a long journey.”
The duke inclined his head, expression unreadable. The Duchess’s smile had been faint, but I caught the approval in her eyes.
Zane hadn’t waited for further comment. He pulled me gently to my feet, his arm sliding around me as he steered me toward the doors.
Behind us, the siblings already erupted back into whispers, their voices carrying sharp undercurrents of curiosity and speculation.
But I didn’t look back. Because my heart was still hammering with Theodora’s words, and my biggest fear came alive on the first day we were here.
I knew I had to address this because they would wonder. There would be more questions.
The door to the dining hall closed behind us, muting the roar of voices.
My lungs ached like I had held my breath the whole meal.
Zane hadn’t spoken. His arm stayed around me, guiding me through a side corridor lit by flickering sconces, until we reached the quiet of his chambers.
Only then did he let out a long, sharp breath, dragging a hand through his hair.
“They shouldn’t have asked that,” he said, his voice low, taut with fury. “Not like that. Not at dinner. Gods.”